The Lucky One
by rainsoakedreams
Summary: Maggie reacts to catching Nate in a compromising position with Eliot. Note: Sequel to Asking the Right Question, Pairing: Nate/Eliot


Disclaimer: I do not own any of the named character in this work of fanfiction nor am I getting paid/making profit from writing this.

This is the technical sequel to 'Asking the Right Question' though can be read alone. Basically Nate gets to explain to his ex-wife about his boyfriend after she walked in on them- the conversation everyone with any sense dreads, lol.

* * *

Eliot gazed down at Nate, a pleasantly surprised smile on his flushed features. Too late to take it back.

Nate returned the look with a self-satisfied grin, arms still keeping him close. "You realize that you are insane if you think I'd give you up that easily."

He slid a hand down the length of the hard body above him, giving the tight denim clad ass a playful swat, "Up."

A smirk pulled on Eliot's lips at the slightly over the top display but he obeyed and rolled off the older man.

With more space to move now Nate sat up, ignoring the way the blankets pooled around his waist in favor of observing his ex-wife. He slipped his hand back and trapped Eliot's in case he was getting any funny ideas.

Maggie's eyes darted from one man to the other, hand covering her mouth. She honestly wasn't sure how to react.

Seeing a homosexual couple shouldn't have been a problem. Dealing in the art community she ran into quite a few. Of course none of those couples involved the ex-could have been Catholic priest, does everything by the book man she had been married to. Somehow that was making a world of difference.

Nate cleared his throat to get her attention before speaking, "Maggie, I can explain. Just…can you and Parker give us a minute? I'll meet you in the living room."

She blinked, still processing what she had seen. Parker slipped her phone back into her pocket and tapped Maggie on the shoulder.

She looked from her ex-husband to the thief before what he said finally clicked.

"I'll just… living room," She managed to squeak out and made a hasty exit. The second her foot was out the door Parker made herself scarce. For some reason, Eliot was never happy when she picked the lock to his room.

Nate licked his lips and tightened his hold momentarily on Eliot's wrist. He turned and looked him over when the door clicked shut. He really didn't want to have that conversation but he had to say something and it had just slipped out.

Eliot was looking off into the distance, eyes anywhere but his… whatever the hell Nate was supposed to be labeled as. He didn't want to think about the jealous feeling coursing through him, the worry gnawing deep in his gut. He was supposed to trust Nate, he did. But Maggie… the man would be a fool not to take her back if given half an opportunity. Could he really begrudge him that?

A kiss was placed on his arm and Eliot glanced back, smiling despite himself at the wide eyed pouty look Nate was giving him.

He lightly chuckled, "You look ridiculous."

"You look worried." Nate countered easily and slipped an arm around Eliot's shoulders.

"Nothing to worry about, just thinking it all," Eliot assured him, placing a kiss on his nose.

Nate scrunched up the appendage then made an attempt to look at it cross eyed.

"You caught what I said about ridiculous, right?" He laughed, unable to resist.

"But it got the reaction I wanted." Nate pointed out in a rather proud tone. "You looked too serious."

Eliot shrugged him off lightly and stood with the idea of finding his shirt. "Don't you need to meet with Maggie?"

"She can wait a few minutes." Nate insisted only to get his briefs thrown at him.

"You don't let a woman like her see something like that and leave her hanging," Eliot pointed out calmly and re-adjusted his jeans around his hips before buttoning them. "Didn't your momma teach you better?"

"My momma taught me a lot of things I never apply," he commented back, slipping on the briefs and bending over the edge of his bed to locate his pants.

"In my defense, she was never supposed to see that" He called up, wondering how the hell his pants had gotten under the bed.

Pulling out the hair that had gotten trapped under his shirt, Eliot sighed and tossed Nate his shirt just as he sat back up.

Nate slipped the shirt over his shoulder and paused in working the buttons to study his younger lover. "This is really getting to you isn't it?"

Eliot didn't answer, just sat back on the bed and focused on getting his boots on.

"I meant what I said you know, after Kiev."

"And I don't doubt that for a minute." Eliot supplied, tucking his jeans under the well worn leather. He really didn't doubt that when Nate had made his little confession that he had meant every word of it. It also happened to have taken place after his ex-wife left town and no one expected her around for a while. He paused and glanced towards the older man. "Hey Nate, did Maggie tell you she was gonna be in town?"

Nate had actually made it off the bed and was searching for where his shoes had disappeared to. He and Eliot really needed to have a talk when it came to blindly tossing clothing articles. "No, didn't tell me a thing. I found out the same time you did."

Eliot finished putting on his boots. "You dressed yet or you gonna keep her waiting after she flew too many miles to see you in bed?"

He laughed and caught the shoe that came flying his way. He waved it like a trophy. "Now how're you plannin' on getting this back old man, hm?"

One shoe on, Nate reached his hand out expectantly.

The hitter tried not to smirk, "And you really think that's gonnato do it?"

Nate stretched his hand out further and Eliot raised a brow, "You have to do better than that."

"Eliot, come on. We can't delay this forever you know," Nate told him gently.

"Fine," Eliot told him, the smile a little forced when he surrendered his prize. He wasn't looking forward to this little display.

Shoes on, Nate caught up with Eliot and wrapped an arm around his shoulder.

When they appeared in the living room all their clothes were in tact.

"You want me here?" Eliot asked, watching Nate eyes and offering him the privacy he thought he might want.

The older man shook his head, offering a quick smile, "I think it'd be easier if I handled this first. Give us a couple of minutes?"

Eliot nodded and spared Maggie a glance before disappearing, refusing to let himself look back.

Nate took a seat across from her, elbows resting on splayed knees. He tried to ignore the way his stomach tightened at the idea of this conversation. "So?"

"Wow, Nate, I can't really begin," Maggie laughed a little nervously. "I am not even sure how to articulate a real response yet."

He frowned, not sure how to react to that.

"I'm just… I don't know what you want me to say, Nate. After how many years we were married I never saw any signs of you being…" she trailed off.

"Gay?" he filled in for her, still frowning. He had really hoped she wouldn't disapprove. As it looked things were going to get a good bit more awkward.

She chewed over the word for a moment. "I just can't wrap my mind around how I missed something like that. I mean, you were never gay as far as I knew. Or, bisexual? What was between us, that was genuine?"

Nate shook his head and ran a hand through his messy hair. "Of course it was Mags, do you really have to ask? I love you. I did then and I do now and somewhere inside me I am always going to. You were my wife, the mother of …" He stopped himself there before continuing on, "But Maggie, I'm not in love with you now, not like that. Understand something. It's because I'm not gay, bisexual, call it what you will but I wasn't. That is, I didn't know it myself then. There was nothing to see at the time. "

"So you and Eliot?" She asked, trying to be accepting of the revelation. She looked down making an intense study of her nail polish. This was just unbelievable. A visual of the two men in the bedroom, and what they had clearly been up to, before she came in, flashed through her mind. The idea that her husband, no ex-husband, was under another man…

And not just any man, oh no. When Nate went on a chase he always brought down impressive game. It was the nature of his character. Somehow he had picked out one of the most talented, macho, charming men she had ever met in her life as his prey. Or maybe it had been the other way around?

She tried for a moment to imagine how it started, to see signs that might have been there.

"He's younger than you, smart, great body, a definite looker. Good job." Maggie finally got out, voice a little more forced than she liked but laced with vague approval. Her cheeks burned pink when realization struck. "I was scoping out my ex-husband's, uhm, boyfriend?"

"I think the politically correct term is partner," Nate managed to get out with a straight face before cracking up, relief flooding through him. This could have gone so much worse. "Yeah, that's a little awkward."

"So, how long have you two been a thing? You said you weren't dating anyone," she pointed out. Maybe hearing something solid would make it seem more real, less like some odd con in the works.

He hesitated, definitely uncomfortable to go there with her. "Eh, that's kind of complicated."

"But Parker said…"

He stopped her with a raised brow.

"Point taken." Her eyes widened, skepticism forgotten. "Wait, you said you two were an item in Kiev? I didn't get you in trouble with that kiss did I? I mean, he does know about it, right?"

Nate outright laughed at her change in priorities. That was Maggie for you. "Yes, he knows. Parker saw us so even if I hadn't said anything she would have. She's amusingly protective of Eliot."

"But," Maggie started, voice confused as she tried to picture the scenario.

"I know. It's like a Pekingese defending a Timber wolf."

"But you wouldn't have told him otherwise?" She asked with her tone disapproving.

He stammered, "What, no. I mean yes. I mean I told him. Parker didn't. Technically I didn't do anything wrong anyhow."

"Nate!" She lectured. "If he's your partner then…"

He stopped her with an open palm. "We weren't, not then. Like I said before, it's complicated."

Maggie settled back into the couch, getting more comfortable and met his eyes, all smiles. "Simplify it then."

"Are you seriously being protective of Eliot?" He asked, eyebrows climbing in astonishment.

"Don't be silly Nate, I'm just curious." She insisted sweetly, smoothing out her skirt like this was the most natural conversation in the world.

Nate made a note to himself that after this Eliot was banned from getting close to anymore blonds. They all became too damn protective.

"We weren't a legitimate couple until after the job in Kiev. What we had before was a," He shrugged, trying to think of an appropriate word. "A fling. Not even that really so much as," He paused, fishing for the right term.

"Friends with benefits?" She offered, easing on the idea of 'them' more and more.

"Something like that, yeah. You have to understand Maggie, I'm not gay. It's just him, something about him. We were in the middle of a con and he was accusing me of being too stressed, said it was going to catch up to us and cause problems. That led to him joking what I needed was to get laid and I asked him if he offering. One thing led to another and well," he shrugged wanting to get through this explanation as quickly as possible. "Nothing was said for a while. It was a one time thing, that's all it was meant to be. We scattered. A night in my apartment, I was actually sober by then, and things happened again. Over time it just kind of became a thing."

"Wait, so this took place before the Davids fiasco?" She ventured to guess, leaning forward with a knowing grin.

He nodded his head slowly, "Yeah, before the first scatter."

"I have to know, who was it you were jealous of when you thought I was going to date 'Adam Sinclair'?" she inquired, tone covered in innocence.

Taken aback by the question he actually blushed a little. "Does it matter?"

She sat back with a satisfied look on her face and she realized something. Asking if their time in Kiev together had been misunderstood would be pointless. She knew all she needed to on the subject. "You said enough for me to know. So how did you two become official?"

The smile that came with that answer didn't have to be forced. "You and that kiss. I just felt so damn guilty over it when we got off the elevator and he was standing right there. When we were alone I told on myself. He tried to shrug it off, acted like he didn't care but I know Eliot. He has tells just like everyone else, they're just harder to read than most. He was hurt."

"And you felt responsible?" She prodded, her smile knowing.

"Yeah. So we talked it out and he accused me of making him monogamous." Nate laughed, meeting her eyes with some hesitation.

She shook her head, "You are a horrible romantic, do you realize that? But I think he's good for you." She confessed and meant every word, "The last time I saw your eyes light up like that about someone was years ago the day you ask me to marry you. He's incredibly lucky."

Nate looked her over, all apprehension gone for the first time since this conversation began. "I'm the lucky one."


End file.
